Guide to the Aqtau - Beyneu road

Chaikhana along the Aqtau - Beyneu road

We found a list of chaikhanas (tea houses) along the road between Aqtau and Beyneu would be useful. Subsequently we've compiled the below list.
For more details about our ride through the desert refer to the August update.
On average there were chaikhanas every 40 kilometres or so with the longest distance being around 70 kilometres. We carried 9 litres of water each but never needed more than half of it before we reached the next chaikhana. Occasionally drivers stopped to take a photo with us and to offer us either water or schnapps. Booze generally appeared to be what kept the traffic going - lot of drivers seemed to stop at every chaikhana along the way to buy a bottle of beer or vodka. Empty bottles were thoughtlessly thrown on the road. We were prepared for punctures caused by the immense amount of broken glass but luckily we didn't have any problems on that stretch.

From Aqtau there are basically 2 options to get to Beyneu. Either the northern route following the P115 to Shetpe and then changing onto the A33, or the southern route following the A33 all the way from Aqtau. We chose the second option. The road is being reconstructed for a couple of years now and was mostly finished. From Aqtau to Shetpe was the worst part although it wasn't even that bad. Long stretches were already finished and rideable even though they were not officially open. The longest stretches on the old bumpy road were around 10-15 kilometres long. Shortly after Shetpe the road improved drastically and there were only 5-6 stretches where traffic was diverted to a dirt road. Those stretches usually didn't exceed the 5 kilometres mark.

43.600950, 51.462883: There were 2 Chaikhanas, 1 on each side of the road. We chose the one on the Beyneu-bound side. Delicious Samsas.

43.517300, 52.081140: Conveniently located opposite a gas station and near a major intersection. There was also a shop and seemingly a car repair shop. Food was excellent, refilling our water bottles was free as was taking a shower.

43.590080, 52.103660: Hotel on the Beyneu-side edge of Zhetybay. A large building opposite the mosque and marked by a "қонақ үй"-sign. The hotel was undergoing renovation when we stopped by. We were allowed to stay in a dormitory though. Toilet was outside the building, showers were inside. Price was 1500 Tenge/person. There were some shops and restaurants nearby. Zhetybay also had a gas station.

43.886297,52.075022: Chaikhana was closed but didn't look abandoned.

44.012840, 52.157500: Very basic Chaikhana. When we stopped by the only thing they would serve were hard-boiled eggs and stale bread. Apart from that only vodka and water were available. And tea obviously.

44.140190, 52.164860: Seemingly the only hotel in Shetpe. There was only a small "қонақ үй"-sign next to restaurant Balumyt and opposite Halyk Bank (which featured 4 ATMs!). Clean rooms with fridge and air con. Shared bathroom inside, toilets outside. Price were expensive 8000 Tenge for a twin room.

44.149639, 52.438534: This buzzling Chaikhana next to the small town of Zharmysh seemed to be endlessly popular with truck drivers. Great Samsas.

44.149900, 52.945320: Village with a Chaikhana next to it. The Chaikhana was closed but didn't look abandoned. We didn't check for shops in the village.

44.107220, 53.212970: Chaikhana on the top of the hill. Looked poor from the outside but the food was great! They also offered basic but clean accommodation in a separate new building around 300 metres away. Price was 2000 Tenge for a twin room. No running water.

44.288520, 53.523630: Closed Chaikhana at the edge of Say-Otes. This chaikhana was probably out of business as there was a new one on the other side of town.

44.314480, 53.568630: New Chaikhana of Say-Otes. Good choice of dishes. There was a hotel-sign next door and probably a car repair shop. The nearby gas station looked abandoned.

44.456910, 53.807280: Very basic Chaikhana. They only served tea, water, canned meat and stale bread. Not too busy anyway which made it a good place for a siesta.

44.580750, 54.045920: Well equipped and busy chaikhana with a good choice of dishes. There seemed to be a second chaikhana around 500 metres towards Beyneu. Didn't check out the latter.

44.691780, 54.301900: Spacious and clean chaikhana. We stopped by shortly after dawn when they were about to open for the day. We didn't want to wait and just bought some water.

44.796500, 54.567250: Small but clean chaikhana with great breakfast.

45.028160, 55.004220: Not much more than an old shipping container with a small shop and limited choice of food.

Update July 2016

Countries visited: Georgia, Azerbaijan

Cycled mileage in July: 1,107.8km
Cycled mileage per country: 483.7km Georgia, 624.1km Azerbaijan
Total cycled mileage incl. July: 5,124.0km
July mileage not cycled 811.1km (walking, bus, taxi)

Days per country: 10d - Georgia, 21d - Azerbaijan
Days cycling: 13d

Technical failures: 2 Punctures, 1 broken back rack

Link to this month's route

We finished last month in Batumi after arriving by ferry from Bulgaria. Our application for Azerbaijan visas was already submitted at the consulate but it wasn't quite sure how long the process would take. Subsequently we decided to continue our journey towards Tbilisi and return by bus to pick up our visa at some point.
We followed the Black Sea coast and made it to Magnetiti within a day.

Remains of Petra fortress near Kobuleti

Uphill ride on the way to Magnetiti

Locals had been raving about the healing properties of the magnetic sand on the beaches there. It was an interesting place and we enjoyed hanging out at the beach - and drinking the local wine! We weren't hung over the next morning so the magnetic sand might possibly help...

Beach in Magnetiti - the black sand has magnetic properties

Relaxing...

Enjoying some homemade wine

From Magnetiti we continued to Georgia’s second city Kutaissi. We had been there before but it was nice to stroll around the old town once more.

Our Georgian all-time favourite breakfast Adjarian Khachapuri

Church somewhere between Samtredia and Kutaissi

UNESCO-site Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaissi

Market in Kutaissi

Downtown Kutaissi

The next day we took a bus back to Batumi where we could eventually pick up our visas.

Finally we got our Azerbaijan visa!

With the visas ready we cycled on from Kutaissi to Khashuri. The Rikoti pass in between was a real struggle despite its altitude of only about 1,000 metres. After a lot of sun during the last couple of weeks we had to tackle the last bit of the ascend in a thunderstorm.

Rikoti Pass

We met Canadian touring cyclist Jonathan in the most awkward little hostel in Khashuri. Even though we all wanted to go to Gori the next morning we quickly discovered that our pace was too different to cycle together.
We set off without Jonathan and the last few clouds gave way to abundant sunshine soon after.

With Jonathan in Khashuri

We managed to avoid the highway for much of the way and reached Gori just after noon. We checked in to a cosy little guesthouse off the city centre and waited out the hottest hours there. Eventually we went to visit the Stalin Museum. Yep, seriously. Gori is the birth town of Joseph Stalin and the museum the Soviets build to commemorate their leader remains much the same today.

It's all about Stalin in his birth town Gori

Stalin Museum

We rode the remaining 100 kilometres to Georgian capital Tbilisi the next day and checked in to our hostel. We had been looking forward to indulging in Tbilisi’s thermal baths for the last few days and went there instantly. We chose the least touristy experience - Bathhouse No.5. This is where prices are the cheapest at around $2.50 and where all the locals go. Obviously there isn't much luxury, either. Still it felt great to relax in the hot sulphuric water.

Bathhouse No.5

Tbilisi old town

The next day we changed our means of transport and took a bus to David Gareji monastery. We had wanted to go there during a earlier journey to Georgia but visiting the monastery is a bit precarious as it is located right at the Georgian - Azerbaijan border. Visiting all parts of the compound means crossing the border several times - something that seems more advisable while on a guided tour rather than on your own.

That steel rail marks the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan in David Gareji

Lots of caves...

...all over the...

David Gareji monastery compound

We had been to Tbilisi before and there wasn't a point in doing sightseeing there really so we continued to nearby Rustavi which is the last major town before the Azerbaijan border.
When we got to the border the next morning we were a bit nervous but all went smoothly and the border guards were more interested in our bicycles than in our visas.

Good Luck - Last Georgian sign before the border...

We easily made it to Agstafa from the border and were pleased with the good quality of the roads in Azerbaijan.
The next morning disaster struck once more as we both felt sick and unable to cycle on. After a couple of days we felt fit enough to continue to Azerbaijan's second city Ganja. We spent another couple of days there to fully recover.

Main square in Ganja

Strolling around the park

Old town

When we eventually felt ready to leave Ganja we discovered two broken rails on Dominik's back rack while loading the bikes. A makeshift repair allowed us to continue to Yevlax where we had it welded at a truck repair shop. The guys there were extremely helpful and didn't even accept payment but invited us to some cups of tea instead.

Dominik's welded back rack

The next few days to Azerbaijan's capital Baku were a slog. The roads were smooth and had ample shoulder but the heat, oh the heat! We changed our daily routine to set off with sunrise and finish cycling before noon bashing out around 100 kilometres each day.

Cycling through the awful heat

Once we reached the Caspian Sea the wind picked up and we were forced to stop 30 kilometres short off Baku in a random place. It was one of the weirder hotels so far mainly catering (international) workers of the Azerbaijan state oil company SOCAR. So even though it was right in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no facilities nearby, it was quite comfortable and it also featured a Soviet-style canteen that was a lot of fun.

First view of the Caspian Sea near Alat

One of the weirder hotels so far

We finally reached Baku the next morning and went to the Uzbek embassy as soon as we had checked in at our hostel. The visa application process is relatively straight forward but time consuming. Also we were told it would take up to 8 working days for our application to be approved. Bummer! To top it all off we then learnt that there was no way for us to obtain a Turkmenistan visa in Baku. We reassessed our plans and decided to take the notorious ferry across the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan rather than cycling through Iran and Turkmenistan.
The waiting time for our visas went by exploring the old town of Baku and visiting some of the less known attractions nearby. Highlights included petroglyphs and a site with about a dozen baby mud volcanoes that were blowing out thick, cold, grey mud. We also discovered the reason why Azerbaijan is called the "Land of Fire" - right in the outskirts of Baku there is a small park where natural gas is streaming out the ground. some 60 years ago a shepherd’s cigarette accidentally ignited the gas and the rock is still "burning" today!

City walls of Baku old town

Maiden Tower

Home is never too far away...

Book muesum

Downtown Baku

Clinkstone in Qobustan national park

Petroglyphs

Exploring another clinkstone with our Swiss friend Miguele

Mud Vulcanoe near Qobustan

Somehow hypnotic...

...Watching the thick mud bubbling

That is about as big as these vulcanoes get

You can tell from the number of photos...

...we just couldn't get enough of this bubbling mud :-)

You wouldn't expect it but the mud is actually cold

"Extinct" mud vulcanoe

In Rome do like Romans do - Smoking nargileh in a Chaikhana

The "burning" rock

It's all about oil in Azerbaijan - pumping units in the outskirts of Baku

Fun afternoon with locals in Baku - yet another inivitation :-)

Performance at Baku's Fountain Square

Surprisingly we received a notification that our visas for Uzbekistan were ready - only 5 days after applying! We rushed to the embassy which is in a residential area and rather difficult to find. With the visas sticking in our passport we went back to the city centre and on to the ticket office for the ferry to Kazakhstan. There was no confirmed sailing for that day or the day after but supposedly in 2 or 3 days. We were advised to check in with them every morning. We were still waiting for a sailing when the month ended.
With only around 1,000 cycled kilometres this month and last month respectively we feel like we didn't make much progress at all. Hopefully things change for the better next month!